By Heat wave. Hartford at ninety-two degrees for five days in a row, the air conditioner working harder than a marathon runner, the kitchen a dangerous place to be between 11 and 5 unless you have no other option. I had no other option. The cafeteria does not stop serving for heat. The hospital patients do not stop eating. I ran the industrial kitchen on Tuesday with the vent hoods screaming and my forehead slick with sweat, and by 2 PM I had drunk four bottles of water and was still thirsty.
At home I made ensalada de bacalao. Cold salt cod salad. The Caribbean summer dish. Rehydrated cod flaked, tossed with boiled potato, hard-boiled egg, red onion, green olives, a little vinegar, a little olive oil, lots of cilantro, eaten cold or at room temperature with crackers or avocado or just on a plate with a lime wedge. A food that does not require the stove to be on for more than ten minutes total.
Eduardo ate it on the porch in his undershirt. This is summer Eduardo. The undershirt comes out in July and lives on the porch with him, a thing I am deeply fond of, because Eduardo in an undershirt on the porch with a plate of ensalada de bacalao is the Eduardo of 1988, the Eduardo I married, still in there, still bony and serious and quiet, only with more gray hair and a slower walk.
Mami was at her apartment with the air conditioner at sixty-eight degrees, because her building manager — may he be blessed — had replaced the unit in May when the old one died, and the new one actually cools. I brought her a container of the bacalao salad on Wednesday and we sat at her kitchen table and she picked at it and said, "Too much potato." I had put the correct amount of potato. But she was eating, and she was complaining, which meant she was in there, and I took the correction without arguing. The best days are the ones where she complains about my cooking. The worst days are the ones where she eats silently.
Friday night I could not sleep because of the heat. I sat on the porch at 11 PM in a thin nightgown and drank ice water. Eduardo came out and sat with me. We did not talk. We watched the streetlights and listened to the crickets and the occasional car going down the street. Eventually he said, "I am going to install a second air conditioner in the bedroom." I said, "We have one." He said, "Two will be better." I said, "Eduardo, do not spend the money." He said, "I will." On Sunday he came home with it and he and Miguel Jr. installed it. That night I slept for nine hours. That is a love letter. Wepa.
The ensalada de bacalao carried us through that whole week — but once the new bedroom unit was humming and I finally had my nine hours of sleep, I wanted something I could put together just as quickly, just as cold, with that same spirit of a meal that asks almost nothing from the stove and everything from a good bowl and a little patience. This vegetarian Cobb salad with coconut bacon has become that dish for me on the days after the hard ones: hard-boiled eggs, a smoky crumble on top, everything laid out in rows the way a Cobb should be, eaten at room temperature or straight from the fridge, no argument necessary.
Vegetarian Cobb Salad with Coconut Bacon
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- Coconut Bacon
- 1 1/2 cups large flake unsweetened coconut
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped (about 8 cups)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved or quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or feta (optional)
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- Simple Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the coconut bacon. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and liquid smoke. Add the coconut flakes and toss until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake until golden. Bake for 10–12 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the coconut is deep golden and fragrant. Watch carefully in the last few minutes — it goes from golden to burned quickly. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the pan; it will crisp as it cools.
- Hard-boil the eggs (if not already done). Place eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water by one inch, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, remove from heat, and let sit 10–12 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath, cool for 5 minutes, then peel.
- Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl or jar. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Assemble the salad. Spread the chopped romaine across a large platter or wide salad bowl. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas, red onion, eggs, and cheese (if using) in separate rows or sections across the top, Cobb-style.
- Finish and serve. Scatter a generous handful of coconut bacon over everything. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top just before serving, or serve it on the side. Serve immediately at room temperature or chilled.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 16g | Fat: 29g | Carbs: 26g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 480mg